International Business English a Course in Communication Skills by L. Jones - Book Report/Review Example

Evaluation of a Chapter in a Business English textbook: International Business English a course in communication skills by Jones, L. & Alexander, R. (1989)

General Impression

The chapter of the book evaluated was Chapter 2: Letters, Telexes and Memos. It is apparently a chapter on business correspondence, written in 1989, a time when emails, texts, tweets and Instant Messaging were still unheard of. It is a book to help English language learners engaged in business to be able to communicate with the English language to their stakeholders in business. Hence, the target audience of this book are practicing businessmen/businesswomen who have knowledge about running their business but need guidance in running it with English as a medium of communication. It is not a book that teaches readers how to speak or write in English. It is much more advanced than that.

The chapter began with an activity for learners to compare the similarities, differences, advantages, disadvantages of spoken and written communication (p. 11). It comes with audiotapes so learners can hear spoken language and compare it with what is written. The book educates English language learners on some common features of the English language as seen in print. These include abbreviations they should understand in both American and British contexts. It also encourages learners to think critically how the use of the language compares with the use of their native language in terms of how they layout some things such as addresses or business letters in printed form (p.12).

The chapter gave several examples but not much explanation on how these examples may be used. Upon reading it, the reader may anticipate something more to come especially in parts when it says (see… for answers). Some pages may be overwhelming to process for learners of English as a second language, such as the page on Joining Sentences (p.14). The examples were classified into clusters, and several examples were provided, but there was no explanation as to when, where and how they are used in actual communication.

The exercises to evaluate learners’ understanding involve much comprehension and knowledge of the English language and its grammar rules. Even native English speakers will be challenged by it. The exercises were well-thought of so that learners can use both their critical and creative thinking skills to complete them (p.15).

Some parts were written with the presumption that the learners are familiar with certain business vocabulary and test it out with some exercises. Examples are filling in blanks from given words (p.16). The given words are usually used in business situations which the learners are expected to already know much about.

The chapter has inserted nuggets of information that is generally useful to the readers whether English is their second language or even if they are native English speakers. An example is the “Planning a Business Letter: 7 Steps” (p. 19) or the box for “Golden Rules” for writing letters and memos (p.18), which instruct the learners to write with their readers in mind.

Throughout the chapter, the observation that it does not give much guidance on doing specific writing tasks prevails. It does provide some tips, but these are not enough for the learners to apply right away, as in editing a memo letter (p.20) to make it better. Jones and Alexander should have thought that the examples they used for “correction” by their learners may be how the learners perceive correct writing should be, at the level of English proficiency they have at present. Any individual with a decent level of English knowledge would find the example acceptable, although informal.

Learners who will read this book will not be familiar with telexes which were business correspondences sent telegraphically and used decades ago (p. 21). As technology has evolved, the contemporary counterpart of a telex, which is sent and can be responded to as quickly is the email.

The chapter ends with several examples of printed messages that learners should be able to respond to in various formats (by letter, telex, fax, phone or face-to-face) (p. 22). The messages vary in the nature of its topic and tone and learners are supposed to apply what they have learned so far to complete the task of responding to each one, following the “Golden Rules” previously provided in page 18. As the chapter is completed, it leaves much to be desired for the reader, and the learner using this textbook may not have been guided accordingly to enable him or her to complete the task efficiently.

Evaluation From A Pedagogical Perspective

Chan (2009) argues that pedagogical learning materials should address the learning needs of learners, or “what the learner needs to do in order to learn” (Hutchingson & Waters, 1987, p 54). These should include experiential learning which may be significant in the retention of concepts and skills, hence, it is recommended that a range of role-plays or simulation tasks which “mirror real-life situations” (Cunnignsworth, 1995, p. 135) should be included in the material because they are relevant to the business practice of the learners. As a pedagogical or teaching material, Jones & Alexander’s book chapter shall be evaluated using Ellis & Johnson’s (1994) checklist for the selection of high quality published materials for second language learners:

First, the targeted audience for this book seems to be professionals or businessmen whose second language is English. There are two kinds of learners usually aimed at by Business English textbooks. The first is pre-experience learners who are still in the process of learning the theory and practice of business as opposed to the other kind of learner, the job-experienced learner who already has an adequate background of knowledge of business. For pre-experience learners, materials that are suited for them are those which provide information more on the subject of business rather than the language in which to conduct it. Whereas, with job-experienced learners, more language input rather than business input should be given. Jones & Alexander’s chapter being evaluated here seems to target the job-experienced learners who have a higher proficiency of the English language. They are the ones who can appreciate the given tasks because it requires them to cull from their own experiences. In terms of age, and cultural background, Jones & Alexander’s chapter can be said to target a more mature audience based on the activities it presents. These are the learners who can appreciate activities that require them to more seriously study the material and apply the examples to practice. Younger learners may find the activities boring because they would be more attracted to game-like activities, which the chapter does not have. Jones and Alexander’s chapter is more traditional in a sense that learners may find the activities familiar as they are widely practiced in schools from their younger years. The chapter caters to a wider range of cultural backgrounds, with neutral examples that are not offensive to anyone.

Brieger (1997) identified four kinds of knowledge/skills which form the basis of most Business English texts as follows: General language knowledge, Specialist language knowledge, General communication skills and Professional communication skills. Authors of such business English textbooks should be aware of the various proficiency levels of their target learners as well as their different levels of work experience. It is also essential that their learning objective will be consistent with the kind of knowledge it addresses. For example, learners of intermediate level or below may need more information on general language knowledge instead of Specialist language knowledge, which targets certain professions.

The language objective of the chapter is to help second language learners of English to write business correspondences to convey their ideas to colleagues in the business. It offers valuable information on certain nuances of the elements of business writing. It covers several areas of business writing but is limited to the period in which the book was written since more modern communication formats were not included.

As per this evaluation, only Chapter 2 was covered with the topics of business letters, telexes and memos which were the usual business correspondences at the time. Other additional topics include common abbreviations encountered in business correspondences, joining sentences, vocabulary, etc.

Methodological approaches include paired and group exercises, discussions and analysis of sample text materials, listening to audio samples and discussing ways to correct mistakes, role-playing, among others. Grammatical rules were presented, although there was not much elaboration. Immediately following the rules are exercises for the learners to do. It seemed that the authors were more concerned with skill development of the learners rather than ensuring comprehension of grammatical rules.

The role of the material is to present the English language used in a business setting. Exercises are meant to practice language skills either with a partner or with a group, or for some exercises, for individual, self-paced learning. It is a practical resource for the learners especially the informative boxes or tips provided alongside the lessons and exercises.

Basing from contemporary standards where books have more modern and attractive layouts, Jones and Alexander’s book layout is quite dull, save for some boxes of texts, varying fonts and a few graphics. The interesting exercises could be highlighted more with more creative presentation to keep learners’ interest.

In addition to the criteria set by Ellis and Johnson (1994) in evaluating published learning materials for Business English, Chan (2009) adds the criteria of learner autonomy. This “encompasses such aspects as learning strategies, self-assessment identification of weaknesses and solutions, goal-setting, reflection and making choices” (Chan, 2009, p. 129). All these train learners to look out for their own interests in learning the language and be independent enough to seek the necessary resources and aid. They should be able to be reflective of their own strengths and weaknesses and how efficient they are in their goal-setting. Hence, learning materials should include clear objectives and outcomes with which learners can check if they have met with the quality of their performance (Cunningsworth, 1995; Dickinson, 1987). Jones and Alexander’s book chapter had some features of learner autonomy evident in their references to pages which give out answer keys.

Evaluation From Applied Linguistics Research

Chan (2009) claims that applied linguistics research findings should set the direction of the creation of criteria in evaluating learning materials for second language learners. She presented 6 steps in the process of developing pedagogical materials based on research. The first step is the retrieval of relevant research followed by the organization of their findings. Based on these, checklists are developed to evaluate the materials. Upon evaluation, gaps are identified and dealt with. In the case of Jones and Alexander’s book chapter, it seems that the information they presented are indeed based on research from previous materials which have been established as business English rules. In this current evaluation of Jones & Alexander’s book chapter, certain gaps have been identified which can be attributed to the date the book was published, which was two decades ago. Since then, the world has moved on to embrace new innovations in technology such as the coming of the internet and digital communication, and its corresponding conveniences such as email, Instant messaging, mobile texting, chatting, and many other features of social media communication. Although these are now used as common forms of communication due to the convenience of instantaneous exchange, the mailed business letter is still preferred by most businessmen for certain types of correspondence (Koester, 2004). Some language rules may have been relaxed to accommodate cultural differences such as in the case of various world Englishes. However, business writing has remained to be formal regardless of the evolution of language and vocabulary. For example, the accepted shortcuts used in text messaging such as TTYL (talk to you later) or BRB (be right back) or IDK (I don’t know) should never be adopted in business writing no matter how commonly understood it is. This is the equivalent of slang language which business English books such as Jones & Alexander’s steer clear of.

Some topics discussed in the chapter such as the layout of letters, and whether it is of American or British origin, do not matter as much in today’s business scene unless the recipient is very meticulous about etiquette. Nowadays, what is more valued is the clarity, content conciseness of business letters and messages considering recipients are very busy and cannot afford to read lengthy and elaborate mail.

Another finding from applied linguistic research is the consideration of cultural differences of people communicating in business. As defined by Byram, Gribkova and Starkey (2002), intercultural communicative competence (ICC) is the “ability to interact with people as complex human beings with multiple identities and their own individuality” (p. 10). ICC features include “knowledge, skills, attitudes and cultural awareness”, (de Onate & Amador, 2013, p. 173). This implies that basic linguistic and cultural knowledge are required in international business because “language and culture cannot be separated” (Dudley-Evans and St. John, 1998, p. 72). Jones and Alexander’s book chapter included in its activities the learners’ comparison of business writing rules in their book and in the learners’ home culture. However, that was as close as they got to developing learner’s ICC. Again, this can be attributed to the date it was published when intercultural communicative competence was not a priority. However, in more recent Business English textbooks, more content on effective communication with people from different cultures has been observed even if the medium of communication was English (de Onate & Amador, 2013).

Based on the current evaluation of Jones and Alexander’s book chapter, it can be concluded that their material may still be effective in teaching Business English as the basic criteria have been met. However, in order to turn it into an ideal learning aid for second language learners, it should be more elaborative of the rules, giving more examples that consider the needs and cultural background of the learners. The activities they provide may be retained, and in addition, more dynamic activities that would appeal to a wider base of learners should be added. Apart from the usual role-playing, correction of mistakes on the sample text, filling in the blanks of sentences with vocabulary words, Ellis & Johnson (2004) suggest the addition of framework materials. These are diagrammatic representations presented to learners to generate dialogues and conversations according to the imbedded rules in the framework. For example, initially, learners will see a diagram of different shapes and underneath it, the rules such as comparing the shapes. Such rules will be translated to comparison of other things such as an apple and a banana, a car and an airplane, etc. Frameworks guide learners in the expression of their ideas with short sentences or descriptions. These can be used by pairs or groups and implemented with an element of fun and spontaneity. Applying this newfound skill in business writing would can best be used in pitching sales or presenting proposals to prospective clients.

Finally, upgrading the appearance of the book’s layout by adding more interesting and readable fonts, color, graphics and pictures would make it more attractive to readers. Adding a special touch such as the incorporation of cultural representations for the sake of the readers would further heighten the interest of the learners.

Conclusion

Evaluation of a learning material for learners of the English language entails several considerations. Firstly, the needs of the learners should be reflected in the objectives of the book and there should be a clear match between the two to ensure that the book will be relevant to the learners. Beginning learners or pre-experience business English speakers/writers should be provided with more input on the basics of business before they can apply their English language skills. On the other hand, job-experience learners, considered to be adept in business already should engage more on the learning of the use of English in business. Using one book to address both or “middle of the road” books will not prove to be a good reference as a lot of adjustment need to be made by the learners in order to suit their needs. Hence, separate versions for the two should be made.

Although examples of the use of English in varied contexts are much appreciated, the rules from which such examples have sprung should be explained well. In the case of the book evaluated for this paper, the explanations were few and far between, so it leaves readers with much to seek.

Another important feature of Business English books is the set of exercises and drills to be done by the learners upon understanding the rules. These activities serve evaluative ends in that language teachers can observe if their learners can aptly apply their new knowledge and skills in various tasks. These activities should be appropriate to the profiles of the learners. For example, younger learners would appreciate more game-like activities, role-playing and use of colourful pictures and other learning aids while more mature learners may still be comfortable with traditional learning activities such as quizzes and tests, matching paired clauses to make a sensible sentence, filling in the blanks with new vocabulary words, etc. Framework materials suggested by Ellis and Johnson may be appealing for any age as long as the material is matched to the proficiency level of the learner. Film clips of conversations may supplement audio clips that come with the Business English book and in the former, learners can also examine non-verbal communication of the conversing parties because they can watch the actors while their conversation is going on instead of merely hearing their voices.

Since English language classes are usually populated by non-native speakers from various cultural backgrounds, it would be good if some elements from their culture are added to the lessons. In doing so, the learners get to have a sense of familiarity and in effect, feel valued and accepted.

Learning a new language is always challenging but having the right disposition , learning environment, materials and a supportive language teacher can usually knock down any barrier to one’s road to mastery.